Odisha govt to reclaim another 88 acre land grabbed by ex chief secy

Odisha Land Record and Settlement Commissioner court on Friday ordered restoration of another 88 acres of government land from alleged illegal possession of a former state Chief Secretary and his brothers in Jajpur district.

This comes four days after the executive court had ordered for restoration of 70 acres of land that was under illegal possession of retired Chief Secretary Rabinarayan Das and his brothers.

The Commissioner court of Ashok Kumar Tarenia ordered restoration of the government land and record them as ‘unoccupied forest’ land under Salijanga village area while disposing of revision petitions filed by Jajpur Collector and Danagadi Tehsildar.

All the revision petitions were filed before the Member, Board of Revenue last year and Member Ashok Kumar Tripathy had ordered the court of Land Records and Settlement Commissioner to dispose of the cases on priority basis.

Besides, the Commissioner Court had also recommended the state government to initiate a crime branch police probe into the matter as to how these cases were not decided under Odisha Prevention of Land Encroachment Act and private persons were allowed to occupy valuable government land for so long.

The said patch of 158 acres of government land was recorded in the names of sons of late Durga Charan Das– Rabinarayan Das, Chandi Charan Das and Bidubhusan Das– by the Settlement officials during Hal Settlement operation in 1983 on the basis of hand-written Record of Rights (RoR).

The Jajpur district collector and Danagadi Tehsildar had complained that mutation of the said land was illegally made in favour of Rabinarayan Das.

The complainants had told the Commissioner of Land Records and Settlement that Das and others managed to usurp 70 acres of land through ‘hata patta’ (hand-written Record of Rights).

Earlier, notices have been served to persons who have purchased part or parts of the said land from Das or his family members.

The executive court had on last Monday ordered restoration of 70 acres of land that was under “illegal” possession of retired Chief Secretary Rabinarayan Das and his brothers.